"We're not trying to rob the bank here. We're not reinventing anything. We're not holding a gun to the Canadiens' head saying, 'Pay us this or we're walking away.' We just want to be compensated for what I'm worth," he told the Montreal Gazette Wednesday.

The players were keen to not let the off-ice distraction affect the team in any way.

"We do not know what's happening in his case, we're here to win games," defenceman Francis Bouillon said when asked about it on Thursday morning, after practice at the Verizon Center in Washington. When asked, Josh Gorges declined to comment.

Habs head coach Michel Therrien has shut down any discussion about Subban.

"I do not want to talk about this, I want to focus only on the players that are here now," replied the Canadiens head coach.